As a wildlife rescuer with Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter in Victoria, Australia, Chris Lehmann is often called upon to help animals in need.
When Lehmann recently learned about a fallow deer buck whose antlers were caught in a piece of bedding material, the dedicated rescuer quickly rushed to the scene. Upon arrival, he saw the deer hopelessly tangled in a blackberry bush, the trash on his head having snagged on the prickly branches.
Chris Lehmann
Lehmann knew the rescue would be risky, but he willed himself on, hoping to save the deer’s life. At first, he tried using a knife affixed to a pole to cut the deer free. But just as he reached to slice through the bedding, the deer tore himself away and escaped into the wilderness.
The rescuer ran after the deer and caught up with him in a clearing. He grabbed the material on the deer’s head and tried pulling it off, willing the anxious animal to settle down so that he could finish the job.
Chris Lehmann
Lehmann managed to use his knife to cut away a few pieces. When the knife broke, he realized he’d need to complete the rest of the rescue by hand. He pulled the deer in closer, praying that the animal would accept his kindness.
Then came the moment he never expected.
“Something magic happened,” Lehmann wrote in a video about the rescue. “He seemed to feel I was helping and settled some.”
Chris Lehmann
Lehmann seized the opportunity and cut away the last few scraps of bedding. No longer hindered by the dirty rope of cloth, the deer could finally run free.
You can watch the rescue unfold in a video here:
Lehmann watched in awe as the buck returned to the forest, feeling grateful for the small moment of human-animal connection that allowed him to save a life.
